NEISD seeks input on community plan

Updated 1:29 pm, Thursday, September 19, 2013

North East Independent School District officials say the arrival of 2014 will usher in a long-term, districtwide plan in which students in all grades will become even more prepared to face myriad challenges that the 21st century poses.

In order to reach that goal, the school district is seeking input from a variety of community members, beginning with a series of public meetings this week.

“Transforming the Future” is the name of the public involvement process that will last through the fall.

Superintendent Brian Gottardy, at the first public meeting Monday at Roosevelt High School, 5110 Walzem Road, said primary school students are connected through technology more than ever.

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But that's not enough. Gottardy said it's crucial for administrators, teachers and parents to stay in tune with technological advances and creative ways to keep students interested in the learning process.

This, Gottardy said, will enable students to academically compete with counterparts elsewhere, as they head into an ever-changing global job marketplace. Jobs such as healthcare application analyst and cyborg anthropologist are positions that did not exist five years ago, he added.

"Our mission is to create global citizens," Gottardy told the Roosevelt cafeteria crowd. “Our vision is to create more competitive students, have them truly prepared for tomorrow's world.”

The company Engage! Learning is helping NEISD to develop an action plan based on the feedback received at this week's summits and via a website through the rest of this month.

Attendees at each summit were asked to answer questions about what roles educators and administrators should have, and what skills children need to thrive, looking toward the 21st century marketplace.

Many attendees stressed cultivating skills in critical thinking, proper face-to-face communication, as well as history, global awareness and ethics.

Company CEO Shannon Buerk told the crowd at Roosevelt that today's children and teens may easily take for granted the importance of proficient interpersonal communication, but technology could help improve such social skills.

"Because technology has changed our world doesn't mean we just change our kids to have them use technology," she said. "It is also about having them focus instead of being distracted."

Summit attendees also said collaboration, resiliency, self-motivation, creativity, and demonstrating leadership and initiative, all are key to students being successful in the 21st century.

A few students offered opinions at the meeting, saying youngsters and educators challenging each other with fun, hands-on lessons will help students to realize real-world applicability.